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ORATION 


GEN'L  ROBERT  E.  LEE, 

THE  SOUTH'S  PEERLESS  SOLDIER 
AND  LEADER. 


By  CAPTAIN  SAMUEL  A.  ASHE, 

RALEIGH,  N.  C,  JAN.  20,  1904. 


JOHNSTON  PETTIGREW  CHAPTER  U.  D.  C, 
RALEIGH,   N.   C. 


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ORATION. 


GEN'L  ROBERT  E.  LEE, 

THE  SOUTH'S  PEERLESS  SOLDIER 
AND  LEADER. 


By  CAPTAIN  SAMUEL  A.  ASHE, 

RALEIGH,  N.  C,  JAN.  20,  1904. 


JOHNSON  PITTIGREW  CHAPTER,  U.  D.  C, 
RALEIGH,  N.  C. 


RALEIGH : 

W   S.  SHERMAN  &  CO.,  PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS. 

1906. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/genlroberteleesoOOashe 


A  HEROIC  LEADER. 


Tribute  from  the  loving  heart  of  the  South  was  given  last 
night  in  memory  of  its  peerless  soldier-leader  when  men  and 
women,  representatives  of  Raleigh's  best  life,  thronged  the 
hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  the  exercises  held  in 
celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  General  Robert 
E.  Lee. 

It  was  a  goodly  assemblage,  and  it  was  devout  in  its  intent- 
ness.  The  music,  the  oration,  the  prayer,  the  poem  and  the 
presentation  of  the  Crosses  of  Honor,  all  were  typical  of  the 
South,  which  symbolized,  in  this  tribute  to  Lee,  its  love  and 
veneration  of  all  who  wore  the  grey.  The  applause  that 
greeted  each  event  of  the  evening  was  fraught  with  patriotism. 

Confederate  colors  were  there  in  abundance.  Hack  of  the 
speaker's  desk  a  great  Confederate  flag  was  hung,  flanked  by 
smaller  Stars  and  Bars,  one  of  which  was  tattered  and  torn 
from  shells  in  a  deadly  conflict,  and  another  the  flag  of  the 
L.  O'B.  Branch  Camp.  In  front  of  the  desk  was  a  large  steel 
engraving  of  General  Lee  on  horseback,  and  this  was  adorned 
with  tiny  Confederate  flags. 

The  meeting  was  presided  over  by  Adjutant  .1.  ( '.  Birdsong, 
of  the  L.  O'B.  Branch  Camp,  in  the  absence  of  Commander 
Stronach.  Seated  with  the  orator  of  the  evening,  Capt.  S.  A. 
Ashe,  was  also  Rev.  M.  M.  Marshall,  the  Chaplain  of  the 
occasion.  On  one  side  was  ranged  the  band  of  the  Blind 
Institution,  which  rendered  patriotic  music  during  the  even- 
ing. From  the  left  the  loving  eyes  of  Vance  looked  down 
from  his  counterfeit  presentment,  while  from  the  other  canvas 
the  pictured  form  of  the  "Father  of  Ins  Country"  added 
dignity  to  the  impressive  scene,  gazed  upon  by  veterans  grey, 
by  mothers  who  had  borne  war's  privations  at  home,  by  sons 
and  daughters,  and  by  grandsons  and  granddaughters,  whose 


hearts  all  have  within  them  the  fires  of  undying  devotion  to 
the  South,  and  love  for  the  heroes  who  offered  life  as  a 
libation  in  its  defence. 

The  audience  had  been  ushered  to  places  by  four  gallant 
little  gentlemen,  whose  insignia  of  red  and  white  told  that 
they  were  the  marshals  of  the  evening,  these  being  Masters 
George  Ashe,  Leo  Heartt,  Jessie  Primrose  and  Robert  Waitt. 

Following  the  music  which  began  the  exercises,  Adjutant 
Birdsong  presented  Rev.  M.  M.  Marshall,  who  led  in  prayer. 
In  his  petition  he  thanked  God  for  the  life  of  His  servant, 
General  Lee,  who  had  been  faithful  even  unto  death.  He 
alluded  to  his  self-sacrificing  life,  and  prayed  that  it  might 
ever  prove  an  inspiration  to  the  youth  of  the  land  to  noble 
deeds.  The  audience  joined  with  him  in  one  voice  in  the 
Lord's  Prayer. 

Adjutant  Birdsong,  who,  in  Company  B,  Twelfth  Regi- 
ment of  Virginia  Infantry,  had  seen  service,  next  spoke  of 
the  unexpected  honor  he  had  in  acting  as  master  of  cere- 
monies, and  that  while  it  was  a  duty,  such  was  never  onerous 
when  demanded  by  the  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy,  this 
graceful  tribute  being  paid  to  the  members  of  the  Johnston - 
Pettigrew  Chapter,  under  whose  auspices  the  celebration  was 
held,  and  who  were  present  in  large  numbers.  He  told  of  the 
deathless  love  of  the  Confederate  soldier  for  General  Lee, 
and  declared  that  though  dead  he  lived  in  the  hearts  of  every 
veteran  and  every  woman  of  the  South.  In  felicitous  terms 
he  introduced  Capt.  Ashe,  who  delivered  the  oration  of  the 
evening. 

Capt.  Ashe's  Address. 

It  was  an  address  full  of  love  to  Lee,  abounding  in  historic 
facts  telling  of  the  days  of  the  war,  and  the  words  were  fitting 
words,  coming  from  a  Confederate,  who  was  a  member  of 
Company  I,  Eighteenth  Regiment,  and  had  served  on  the 
general  staff.  Many  times  was  Capt.  Ashe  applauded,  and 
applause  greeted  the  close  of  his  able  and  valuable  address. 


Necessarily  our  report  of  the  address  is  much  curtailed.  It 
was  an  elaborate  presentation  of  the  character  of  Lee,  and  a 
graphic  account  of  his  military  career,  giving  the  details  of 
his  famous  campaigns  that  won  for  him  imperishable  fame. 
Among  other  things  Capt.  Ashe  said : 

Lord  AVolsely  discussing  Napoleon  says  that  extraordinary 
man  took  Caesar  as  his  military  model,  and  even  modelled  his 
stirring  addresses  to  his  soldiers  after  Caesar,  but,  with  true 
English  antipathy  to  this  product  of  the  French  Revolution, 
he  adds  with  withering  sarcasm,  "that  Csesar  was  a  gentle- 
man." Yea,  verily,  that  blue-eyed,  round-faced,  curly-headed 
Roman,  whose  fame  as  an  orator,  historian  and  warrior  re- 
sounds through  the  corridors  of  time,  was  a  gentleman  ;  and. 
if  Ovid  is  to  be  believed,  his  body  was  borne  beyond  the  clouds 
to  the  serene  heavens,  where  he  became  an  associate  of  the 
Roman  Deities. 

In  our  time,  the  greatest  and  most  glorious  soldier  of  mod- 
ern ages  also  was  a  gentleman — and  we  embalm  the  memory 

of  his  virtues  on  the  altars  of  our  hearts,  and  hold  him  a- 

i 

most  worthy  of  our  love  and  veneration. 

President  Tyler  mentions  that  among  the  early  emigrants 
who  landed  at  Jamestown,  there  were  thirty-four  noblemen 
of  the  most  ancient  families  of  the  English  peerage,  ami  128 
knights  baronets.  It  is  this  class  of  country  gentlemen  that 
has  furnished  the  most  brilliant  characters  in  the  splendid 
galaxy  of  eminent  men  who  have  adorned  the  annals  of  Great 
Britain.  In  Virginia,  these  high-bred  gentry  spread  them- 
selves throughout  the  tidewater  region,  and  their  descendants 
have  won  for  the  Old  Dominion  the  proud  distinction  of  being 
the  mother  of  Stales  and  of  statesmen.  Particularly  has  tli  : 
small  county  of  Westmoreland,  lying  between  the  Rappahan- 
nock and  the  Potomac,  been  the  matrix  of  great  characters. 
There,  in  the  opening  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  could 
be  seen  a  lovely  matron,  the  mistress  of  an  elegant  mansion, 
surrounded  by  luxury,  and  the  center  of  a  refined  and  noble 
connection.     She,  herself,  could  trace  her  lineage  hack  through 

m 

<0 


6 


many  heroes  to  Robert  Bruce,  the  patriot  of  Scotland,  while 
her  husband,  also  of  honorable  lineage,  had  won  fame  and 
high  honors  in  the  war  for  independence,  and  as  Light  Horse 
Harry,  had  left  his  impress  on  the  history  of  his  country. 

But  men  follow  the  mother  rather  than  the  father.  Seldom 
has  a  great,  strong  man  been  born  to  a  weak  woman.  By 
nature,  our  heritage  is  largely  from  the  female  side,  and  the 
children  of  Annie  Hill  Carter,  the  wife  of  Light  Horse  Harry 
Lee,  had  their  hearts  ennobled  by  the  rich  blood  of  Robert, 
the  Bruce.  Nurtured  under  her  influence,  living  in  an  atmos- 
phere where  only  virtues  could  flourish,  her  children  naturally 
developed  into  exemplary  characters. 

To  the  interested  and  anxious  household  that  gathered  at 
Stratford  this  night,  ninety-seven  years  ago,  there  came  a 
child,  destined,  like  Caesar,  to  fill  the  measure  of  fame  as  a 
soldier  and  a  gentleman. 

A  few  miles  distant,  on  the  same  noble  Potomac,  in  tin- 
same  neighborhood,  Washington  had  been  born;  now  it  was 
Robert  Edward  Lee,  in  many  respects  the  peer,  in  some  the 
superior,  of  the  great  patriot — whose  untimely  death  was  still 
freshly  mourned  by  the  people,  and  the  eulogy  of  the  orator, 
Richard  Henry  Lee,  still  reverberated  throughout  the  conti- 
nent: "First  in  Avar,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen." 

Hardly  had  Washington  passed  away  at  Mt.  Vernon  before 
Lee  was  born  at  Stratford. 

When  Robert  Lee  Avas  four  years  of  age,  his  parents  moved 
into  the  neighboring  town  of  Alexandria  ;  and  three  years 
later  his  father  departed  for  a  long  sojourn  in  the  West 
Indies,  from  which  he  never  returned.  So,  during  his  boy- 
hood days,  Robert  Lee  was  under  the  sole  care  of,  his  mother, 
the  home-life  being  so  affectionate  and  tender  as  to  excite  our 
interest  and  awaken  our  sympathy.  An  elder  sister  had 
fallen  into  ill  health  ;  and  Mrs.  Lee  herself  was  an  invalid. 
So  situated,  Robert  became  both  a  daughter  and  a  son  to  his 
mother.      Under   her   direction,   he   was   housekeeper   of   his 


liume.  His  spare  moments  were  spent  at  her  side,  lie  was 
her  nurse  and  daily  companion — read  to  her,  rode  with  her 
and  comforted  her.  He  grew  to  resemble  her  in  disposition, 
in  gentle  manners,  in  careful  thought.  Duty  became  the 
watchword  of  his  life.  Duty  to  his  Maker,  duty  to  his  home, 
and  duty  in  that  station  of  life  in  which  it  had  pleased  God 
r<>  place  him. 

A  visit  to  President  Andrew  Jackson  obtained  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  military  academy  at  West  Point,  where  his  hue 
bearing  gained  for  him  the  front  rank  in  the  student  body. 
It  was  while  a  cadet,  in  the  glory  of  his  flashing  brass  buttons, 
that  he  first  met  the  light  of  the  household  of  Arlington, 
Mary  ( 'ustis,  whose  mother  was  a  step-daughter  of  Washing- 
ton. On  graduating,  lie  began  his  first  campaign  to  win  the 
noblest  prize  that  man  can  seek,  the  heart  of  a  beloved  woman. 
The  modest  public  notice  of  the  marriage  was  in  keeping 
with  the  idea  of  the  times:  "Married,  dune  30,  1831,  at 
Arlington  House,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Keith,  Lieutenant  Robert  E. 
Lee,  of  the  United  States  Corps  of  Engineers,  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  R.  Custis,  only  daughter  of  G.  W.  P.  Custis,  Esq." 

Princes  and  princesses,  born  to  the  purple,  might  have 
well  envied  their  condition  in  life.  In  the  circumstances 
that  make  exalted  station  they  were  among  the  first  in  the 
whole  of  the  New  World  ;  while  the  bride  was  rich  in  graces 
and  her  husband  had  capacity,  character  and  excellence,  and 
a  gentle  bearing  that  distinguished  him  above  other  men. 

In  seven  years  he  had  attained  the  rank  of  captain,  and 
when,  in  1845,  war  opened  with  Mexico,  he  was  assigned  to 
the  first  army  of  invasion,  under  General  Wool.  While  man 
is  born  to  wedlock  and  it  is  his  natural  portion  in  life,  still 
it  modifies  his  entire  existence.  The  longings  of  the  ambi- 
tious young  officer,  amid  the  mountains  of  Mexico,  were  for 
the  smiles  of  his  wife,  and  thoughts  of  home  were  mingled 
with  the  anxieties  of  his  situation.  Despite  his  strenuous 
duties,  his  great  heart  turned  to  the  object  of  his  love  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac. 


8 


From  Saletto,  on  Christmas,  1846,  after  the  excitement  of 
an  apprehended  attack  that  had  disturbed  their  Christmas 
dinner,  he  wrote  to  his  wife:  "Finding  that  the  enemy  did 
not  come,  preparations  were  again  made  for  dinner.  We 
have  had  many  happy  Christmasses  together.  It  is  the  first 
time  that  we  have  been  entirely  separated  at  this  holy  time 
since  our  marriage.  I  trust  that  this  is  the  last  time  I  shall 
be  absent  from  you  during  life." 

With  Wool  he  rendered  conspicuous  service,  so  that  when 
Scott  arrived,  that  general  particularly  asked  that  Lee  might 
be  sent  to  him,  and  he  became  the  military  adviser  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief. 

He  who  had  been  a  mother's  boy,  who  had  learned  to  prac- 
tice watchfulness  and  carefulness  amid  the  solicitude  of  the 
sick-room,  now  was  to  reap  a  rich  reward  for  his  habitual 
painstaking  and  regard  for  details,  for  his  devotion  to  duty 
and  self-sacrifice. 

The  responsibilities  of  an  engineer  officer  in  a  strange 
country,  amid  mountains  and  impracticable  roads,  and  in  the 
face  of  a  numerous  foe,  are  very  great.  He  must  determine 
what  points  should  be  occupied,  and  whether  or  not  it  is 
practicable  to  reach  them,  and  to  hold  them  against  the 
assaults  of  the  enemy;  he  must  outline  the  battle,  and  sketch 
the  plan  of  the  campaign.  It  so  happened  that  even  more 
than  this  devolved  on  Capt.  Lee.  In  that  unknown  and  diffi- 
cult region,  he  had  himself  to  become  the  active  scout  to  gain 
needed  information.  In  this  work,  no  task  was  too  arduous, 
no  endurance  beyond  his  powers,  no  undertaking  too  perilous 
for  him  to  perform  it.  To  say  that  he  displayed  fine  military 
genius ;  to  say  that  he  repeatedly  won  high  distinction  by 
gallant  conduct,  that  he  made  reputation  as  an  engineer  by  his 
courage  and  devotion,  conveys  no  adequate  idea  of  the  result 
of  his  splendid  services. 

Daily  the  imminent  occasion  called  for  some  extraordinary 
feat,  and  daily  Lee  rose  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  won 
applause  by  his  admirable  conduct. 


9 


At  one  time,  with  Wool,  after  a  night  scout  to  locate  the 
enemy,  during  which,  with  only  one  unwilling  Mexican  guide, 
he  had  ridden  at  a  gallop  forty  miles,  and  gained  a  clue  to  the 
enemy's  location,  after  only  three  hours'  rest  he  was  again  in 
the  saddle,  and  piloted  a  body  of  cavalry  still  further  to  find 
the  Mexican  encampment.  His  endurance  was  wonderful 
His  career  was  a  steady  blaze  of  glory.  The  siege  of  Cerro 
Gordo  brought  him  promotion;  so  also  Cherubusco,  while 
Chaupultapec  gained  him  the  brevet  rank  of  Colonel — the 
highest  in  the  Corps  of  Engineers. 

A  simple  narrative  of  his  life  is  his  best  eulogium.  So  let 
me  detain  you  with  a  brief  account  of  a  single  incident.  Near 
Cherubusco,  the  route  of  the  army  struck  a  triangular,  region 
of  volcanic  scoria,  called  the  Pedregal.  It  was  a  wild  waste 
— a  vast  surface  of  volcanic  rocks,  a  sea  of  congealed  lava, 
broken  into  every  conceivable  form  by  sharp  ridges  and  deep 
fissures.  It  was  pathless  and  precipitous,  requiring  the  ex- 
plorer to  spring  from  rock  to  rock,  often  so  sharp  that  only 
one  foot  could  gain  foothold  on  them.  To  strike  the  enemy's 
flank,  Lee  conducted  a  body  of  troops  across  that  difficult 
region.  They  went  as  stragglers — every  man  for  himself; 
but  eventually  before  nightfall,  one  by  one,  they  had  reached 
the  further  side.  At  night,  a  council  of  war  was  held  by  the 
officers.  Lee's  suggestion  for  the  attack  was  adopted,  and 
he  hastened  to  set  out  on  his  return  to  advise  General  Scott 
of  the  proposed  movement.  But  a  fierce  storm  had  set  in. 
The  rain  was  falling  in  torrents,  and  the  darkness  was  intense. 
Lee  left  the  council,  and  his  way  lightened  only  by  the  lurid 
flashes  of  the  electric  storm,  began  the  perilous  journey 
across  that  rocky  chaos ;  scarcely  a  step  of  the  whole  route 
could  have  been  taken  without  risk  of  instant  death.  Anxious 
for  information,  General  Scott  had  sent  forward  seven  dif- 
ferent officers  to  cross  the  Pedregal,  but  every  one  had  re- 
turned, finding  it  impossible  to  cross.  Not  one  succeeded  in 
getting  through.  But  Lee  succeeded.  At  midnight,  he 
reached  Scott's  headquarters  safe.     General  Scott  afterwards 


10 


bore  this  testimony:  "That  Capt.  Lee's  night  crossing  of  the 
Pedregal,  alone  in  that  terrific  storm,  was  the  greatest  feat 
of  physical  and  moral  courage  performed  by  any  individual 
in  my  knowledge,  pervading  the  entire  campaign  in  Mexico/' 

By  three  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Lee  was  conducting  an 
assaulting  column  through  darkness  and  rain  to  an  eminence 
in  the  rear  of  the  Mexican  position — and  at  sunrise,  the  battle 
was  won. 

Every  day  made  some  new  demand  on  Lee's  skill,  daring 
and  courage,  and  every  day  he  measured  up  higher  and  higher 
as  a  competent  soldier.  General  Scott,  who  won  imperishable 
honors  by  his  constant  victories,  did  not  hesitate  to  ascribe 
his  success,  in  large  part,  to  the  skill,  valor  and  undaunted 
energy  of  Robert  E.  Lee.  And  the  other  officers  were  of  the 
same  opinion.  By  common  consent,  Lee  wore  his  honors 
worthily.  All  sang  his  praises.  General  Wilcox  caps  hi3 
laudation  with  the  following  remark :  "And  then  I  was  much 
impressed  with  his  fine  appearance  both  on  horseback  and  on 
foot.     He  was  the  handsomest  man  in  the  army." 

But  during  all  this  arduous  service,  amid  all  this  peril,  the 
heart  of  the  handsomest  man  in  the  army  was  with  his  home 
on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac.  As  soon  as  peace  came,  he 
hastened  to  Arlington — from  where  he  wrote  to  his  brother, 
Capt.  Sidney  Lee,  of  the  navy,  the  day  after  his  arrival : 
"Here  I  am  again,  perfectly  surrounded  by  Mary  and  her 
precious  children,  who  seem  to  devote  themselves  to  staring 
at  the  furrows  in  my  face,  and  the  white  hairs  in  my  head." 
And,  continuing  in  a  most  affectionate  way,  he  urges  his 
brother  "to  bring  'Sis'  ]STan'  and  all  the  little  ones  to  see  him." 

Yes,  affection  had  its  home  in  his  heart,  and  the  glory  of 
his  brilliant  career  only  made  him  the  more  tender  and  loving 
to  his  dear  ones.  The  furrows  were  on  his  cheeks,  and  his 
hair  was  whitened — these  attested  the  hard  service  he  had 
performed ;  but  he  received  the  rich  reward  of  superb  capa 
bilities  in  treasured  laudations. 

In  Mexico  with  him  were  Grant,  Meade,  McClellan,  Mc- 


11 


Dowell,  Thomas,  Hooker,  Buruside,  Sedgewick,  Hancock, 
Smith,  Pillow,  Sidney  Johnston,  Joe  Johnston,  Bragg,  Long- 
street,  McGruder,  Early,  A.  P.  Hill,  D.  H.  Hill,  and  other 
companions  in  arms — all  winning  honors,  some  achieving 
high  distinction — but  none  gathering  the  splendid  laurels 
that  adorned  the  brow  of  Robert  E.  Lee. 

Lee  was  now  entering  into  the  maturity  of  his  fine  powers. 
He  had  never  departed  from  the  precepts  he  had  learned  at 
his  mother's  knee,  and  had  not  weakened  his  constitution  by 
excesses  or  dissipation.  He  had  always  been  fond  of  society, 
was  agreeable  in  his  manners  and  charming  in  his  conversa- 
tion, but  his  sense  of  duty  towards  God  and  man  was  a  potent 
force  that  gave  to  his  character  an  elevation  which  distin- 
guished him  among  the  officers  of  the  army. 

At  Xew  York  he  was  a  vestryman  of  the  church  he  at- 
tended, and  all  through  life  he  made  public  profession  of  the 
Christian  faith,  and  of  his  dependence  upon  the  deity.  From 
the  frontier  he  wrote  to  his  wife :  "This  is  Easter  Sunday. 
I  hope  you  have  been  able  to  attend  the  services  at  church. 
My  own  have  been  performed  alone  in  my  tent — I  hope,  with 
an  humble,  grateful  and  penitent  heart,  and  will  be  acceptable 
to  our  Heavenly  Father.  May  He  continue  His  mercies  to 
us  both,  and  to  all  our  children,  relatives  and  friends,  and  in 
His  own  good  time  unite  us  in  His  worship,  if  not  on  earth, 
forever  in  heaven." 

Such  was  the  keynote  of  his  life — an  humble  dependence 
on  the  Supreme  Being,  an  abiding  faith  in  the  Christian 
religion,  accepting  all  its  mysteries  without  question,  making 
it  the  light  and  beacon  to  guide  his  footsteps,  and  looking 
with  hope  to  its  promises  of  life  everlasting. 

While  at  his  distant  post,  unbending  from  his  cares,  his 
letters  home  abounded  in  playfulness,  especially  those  to  his 
little  daughter,  while  sometimes  he  mingled  in  his  affectionate 
letters  to  his  wife,  a  little  philosophy.  "Systematically  pur- 
sue," he  wrote  her ;  "the  best  course  to  recover  your  lost 
health.     I  pray  and  trust  your  efforts  and  the  prayers  of 


12 


those  who  love  you,  may  be  favorably  answered.  Do  not 
worry  yourself  about  things  you  can't  help ;  but  be  content 
to  do  what  you  can  for  the  well-being  of  what  properly  belongs 
to  you.  Commit  the  rest  to  those  who  are  responsible,  and 
though  it  is  the  part  of  benevolence  to  aid  all  we  can,  and 
sympathize  with  all  those  who  are  in  need,  it  is  the  part  of 
wisdom  to  attend  to  our  own  affairs.  Lay  nothing  too  much 
to  heart.  Desire  nothing  too  eagerly ;  nor  think  that  all  things 
can  be  perfectly  accomplished  according  to  our  own  notions." 
Army  and  Navy  officers,  generally,  were  not  members  of 
any  political  party.  They  served  their  country,  and  left 
the  civil  administration  to  their  countrymen ;  but  necessarily, 
on  the  great  matters  of  slavery  and  secession,  Col.  Lee  had 
well  considered  views.  On  Christmas,  1856,  he  wrote  to  his 
wife:  "In  this  enlightened  age  there  are  few,  I  believe,  but 
will  acknowledge  that  slavery  as  an  institution  is  a  moral  and 
political  evil  in  any  country.  It  is  useless  to  expatiate  on 
its  disadvantages.  I  think  it,  however,  a  greater  evil  to  the 
white  man  than  to  the  black  race ;  and  while  my  feelings  are 
strongly  interested  in  behalf  of  the  latter,  my  sympathies  are 
stronger  for  the  former.  The  blacks  are  immeasurably  bet- 
tor off  here  than  in  Africa,  morally,  socially  and  physically. 
The  painful  discipline  they  are  undergoing  is  necessary  for 
their  instruction  as  a  race,  and  I  hope  will  prepare  and  lead 
them  to  better  things.  How  long  their  subjections  may  be 
necessary  is  known  and  ordered  by  a  wise  and  merciful  Prov- 
idence. Their  emancipation  will  sooner  result  from  a  mild 
and  melting  influence  than  the  storms  and  contests  of  fiery 
controversy.  This  influence,  though  slow,  is  sure.  While  we 
see  the  course  of  the  final  abolition  of  slavery  is  onward,  and 
we  give  it  the  aid  of  our  prayers  and  all  justifiable  means  in 
our  power,  we  must  leave  the  progress  as  well  as  the  result  in 
Cod's  hands.  Is  it  not  strange  that  the  descendants  of  those 
Pilgrim  Fathers,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  preserve  tLe 
freedom  of  their  opinion,  have  always  proved  themselves  in- 
tolerant of  the  spiritual  liberty  of  others?" 


13 


Acting  on  his  own  notions  of  what  was  right  and  best,  Lee 
had  freed  his  own  slaves,  and  Mr.  Curtis  in  his  will  in  1857, 
provided  that  the  slaves  Mrs.  Lee  would  have  inherited  with 
the  Arlington  estate,  should  after  five  years  likewise  be  eman- 
cipated. Thus  neither  Lee  nor  his  wife  was  pecuniarily 
interested  in  the  perpetuation  of  slavery  at  the  South ;  and 
they  had  given  to  the  world  the  highest  evidence  of  their  anti- 
slavery  views  by  setting  their  own  slaves  free. 

On  the  question  of  secession,  Col.  Lee  doubtless  enter- 
tained the  view  that  it  was  lawful,  and  within  the  province 
of  the  States ;  although  personally,  he  was  opposed  to  the 
movement  and  deprecated  war.  When  Lee  was  a  cadet  at 
West  Point,  one  of  the  text-books  used  there  was  a  treatise 
on  the  Constitution,  written  by  Pawle,  an  eminent  lawyer 
of  Philadelphia,  in  which  the  right  of  secession  was  taught 
as  an  acknowledged  constitutional  right.  The  right  was 
claimed  by  New  England  statesmen  when  Lee  was  a  boy; 
was  openly  asserted  in  1820,  was  re-asserted  by  Calhoun, 
and  admitted  by  many  in  1833,  and  it  was  held  as  a  prin- 
ciple by  many  of  the  most  eminent  characters  of  the  country. 
Still,  Lee  loved  the  Union  and  the  flag,  and  apprehended  that 
war  would  follow  secession,  and  he  did  not  favor  it.  The 
Union  was  largely  the  work  of  Washington,  and  Lee  hoped 
that  it  might  be  perpetuated.  In  January,  1861,  he  wrote 
to  his  wife  that  "he  could  not  anticipate  any  greater  calamity 
for  the  country  than  the  dissolution  of  the  Union,  and  that 
he  was  willing  to  sacrifice  everything  but  honor  for  its  preser- 
vation." 

Toward  the  end  of  February,  18Gl,.Colonely  Lee  was  sum- 
moned to  Washington  by  General  Scott,  and  reached  there  on 
March  1st,  three  days  before  Mr.  Lincoln  was  inaugurated. 
All  public  matters  were  now  in  a  whirlpool  of  chaos.. 

The  right  of  self-government,  claimed  by  a  dozen  great 
American  commonwealths,  and  involving  the  independence 
of  ten  millions  of  people,  was  denied. 

Conceived  in  sin  and  brought  forth  in  iniquity,  actual  war 


14 


had  been  begun  by  a  breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  ma- 
lignant Republicans.  And  with  great  adroitness  they  com- 
bined to  fire  the  Northern  heart  and  solidify  the  North  in 
the  support  of  their  designs.  On  the  15th  of  April,  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  called  for  75,000  men  to  begin  the  work  of 
drenching  America  with  blood.  Two  days  later  Virginia 
seceded.  The  next  day  Mr.  F.  P.  Blair  came  to  Lee  from 
President  Lincoln  and  offered  him  command  of  the  Federal 
army.  The  following  is  a  statement  of  Mr.  Blair:  "I  said, 
I  come  to  you  on  the  part  of  President  Lincoln  to  ask 
whether  any  inducement  that  we  can  offer  will  prevail  on 
you  to  take  command  of  the  Union  army."  Colonel  Lee 
replied :  "If  I  owned  the  4,000,000  slaves,  I  would  cheerfully 
sacrifice  them  to  the  preservation  of  the  Union;  but  to  lift 
my  hand  against  my  own  State  and  people  is  impossible." 

Directly  after  that  offer  and  refusal,  Colonel  Lee  went  to 
General  Scott  and  told  him  of  it,  and  then  the  next  day  lie 
sent  in  his  resignation. 

While  Col.  Lee  still  hoped  that  war  might  be  averted,  yet 
he  was  a  Virginian,  and  he  felt  it  incumbent  on  him  to  obey 
the  authority  of  his  State,  and  to  cast  his  fortunes  for  weal 
or  woe  with  his  people.  Two  days  after  he  had  resigned, 
Virginia,  then  having  withdrawn  from  the  Union,  the  Gov- 
ernor of  that  State  invited  Lee  to  Richmond ;  and  he  at  once 
proceeded  to  that  city.  The  Legislature  was  in  session  and 
conferred  on  him  the  appointment  of  Major-General,  and 
invested  him  with  the  command  of  all  the  forces  of  that 
State.    He  accepted  the  commission,  and  entered  the  military 

service  of  Virginia  as  an  independent  and  sovereign  State. 
****** 

It  was  during  the  repose  after  the  easy  defeat  of  Burnside's 
assault,  when  the  Confederate  hopes  were  in  an  ecstacy  of 
pride  and  confidence,  that  the  day  arrived,  when  under  Mr. 
Custis's  will,  the  slaves  of  Mrs.  Lee's  estate  were  to  be 
emancipated.  General  Lee  turned  aside  from  his  military 
cares  and  duties  to  prepare  and  execute  the  deeds  of  emanci- 


15 


pation,  and  arranged  for  the  future  comfort  and  welfare  of 
the  hundred  slaves  that  "would  otherwise  have  been  the  prop- 
erty of  his  wife,  and  that  at  a  time,  too,  when  their  home  at 
Arlington  had  been  siezed  by  the  Federal  Government,  and 
their  property  there  confiscated. 

General  Lee's  life  in  camp  was  simple  and  unostentatious. 
The  bearing  of  the  great  military  chieftain,  even  in  the 
meridian  of  his  glorious  career,  was  always  kind  and  con- 
siderate. With  his  military  family,  his  dignified  courtesy 
was  often  dashed  with  a  lively  humor,  and  a  pleasant  raillery, 
rather  than  severity  of  demeanor,  sometimes,  urged  his  young 
men  on  to  greater  zeal  and  watchfulness.  He  was  always 
looking  after  his  soldiers,  organizing  them;  and  as  far  as 
possible,  providing  for  their  necessities.  Mrs.  Lee  and  her 
family  were  setting  an  example  to  our  Southern  matrons  by 
knitting  socks  and  gloves,  which  she  sent  in  batches  to  General 
Lee,  who  portioned  them  out  to  his  suffering  army.  In  one 
letter  he  wrote :  "There  were  sixty-seven  pairs  of  socks  in  the 
bag  which  I  brought  from  Richmond  with  me  yesterday. 
One  dozen  of  the  Stuart  socks  had  double  heels.  Can't  you 
teach  Mildred  that  stitch  ?"  Picture  the  great  military  com- 
mander, after  a  conference  with  the  President,  carefully 
carrying  a  bag  of  socks  back  to  his  army,  knit  by  the  fingers 
of  his  wife  and  daughters !  Again  he  wrote :  "Your  note 
with  the  socks  arrived  last  evening.  I  have  sent  them  to  the 
Stonewall  Brigade ;  including  this  last  parcel,  I  have  sent 
to  that  brigade  263  pairs.  Still  there  are  about  140,  whose 
homes  are  within  the  enemy's  lines,  and  who  are  without 
socks.  Tell  the  young  women  to  work  hard  for  the  brave 
Stonewallers."  And  so,  while  he  planned  and  fought,  his 
wife  and  daughters  like  others  of  the  Confederacy  were  plying 
their  needles,  night  and  day,  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of  the 
soldiers  in  the  army.  And  as  resolute  and  courageous  as  the 
men  were,  the  mothers  and  daughters  of  the  Confederacy 
were  equal  to  them  in  fortitude,  and  in  patient  endurance  of 


16 


the  sufferings  and  privations  in  the  long  protracted  period  of 
the  war.  Mourning  and  desolation  came  to  every  household, 
but  the  spirit  of  the  women  of  the  South  was  unconquerable. 

Captain  Ashe  gave  a  succinct  account  of  the  great  cam- 
paigns of  the  war,  of  Lee's  unsurpassed  generalship, -and  of 
the  final  disaster  at  Appomattox.  We  make  room  for  a  single 
quotation,  the  defeat  of  Grant  at  Cold  Harbor : 

Twelve  days  Grant  spent  in  trying  to  drive  Lee  from  Spott- 
sylvania,  and  at  last,  weary  of  the  effort,  in  sore  disappoint- 
ment, he  solemnly  withdraw  at  night  and  sought  to  make 
his  way  to  the  southeast,  only  to  find  that  Lee  had  out- 
generaled him,  and  was  still  in  his  front  at  the  North  Anna. 
ISTot  daring  to  attack  Lee  there,  he  again  moved  his  army 
off.     But  Lee  stood  waiting  for  him  at  Cold  Harbor. 

At  that  time  General  Lee  was  ill  in  his  tent.  He  had  lost 
many  valuable  officers  in  the  previous  conflicts,  and  his 
organization  was  seriously  impaired.  Grant  had  now  received 
reinforcements  more  in  number  than  Lee's  entire  force,  and 
General  Lee  was  very  apprehensive  lest  by  sheer  numbers 
Grant  might  break  through  his  lines.  His  own  ranks  had, 
however,  been  strengthened  by  the  fortunate  arrival  of  two 
divisions ;  and  General  Hoke  with  his  fresh  troops  occupied 
the  position  where  the  Federal  army  would  make  its  chief 
assault;  and  when  the  serried  columns  of  Federal  brigades 
were  hurled  against  Hoke's  front,  they  were  overwhelmingly 
repulsed.  In  one  hour  of  terrific  combat,  on  June  3rd,  twelve 
thousand  Federal  soldiers  lay  stretched  upon  the  field,  and 
both  officers  and  men  recoiled  from  any  further  combat. 

Twice  the  order  was  passed  to  renew  the  battle,  but  the 
Union  soldiers  did  not  move ;  the  Federal  army,  twice  the 
number  of  Lee's,  sullenly  refused  to  obey  their  orders  and 
advance  their  flag  against  the  Confederate  lines.  Thus  ended 
in  Federal  disaster  the  pitched  battles  between  Grant's  vast 
hosts  and  the  small  Confederate  army.     Within  one  short 


17 


month,  in  which  the  heaviest  fighting-  known  to  history  had 
taken  place,  Grant's  immense  army,  after  terrific  losses,  had 
failed  to  drive  Lee  from  its  path.  As  McDowell,  McClellan, 
Pope,  Burnside,  Hooker  and  Meade  had  been  withstood  and 
their  plans  defeated,  so  now  Grant's  efforts  had  ended  in  his 
discomfiture.  His  movement  "on  to  Richmond,"  from  the 
north,  was  successfully  blocked  by  the  Confederate  army. 
Grant  now  found  himself  forced  to  resort  to  a  different  plan, 
and  he  crossed  the  James  river.  With  his  tremendous  forces, 
he  thought  to  extend  his  lines  beyond  the  reasonable  power 
of  Lee  to  oppose  him — that  was  his  calculation.  Still,  Lee 
held  his  own  against  all  odds,  and  the  operations  settled  down 
to  the  seige  of  Petersburg,  which  lasted  nearly  a  full  year, 
during  which  Lee  and  his  resolute  Confederates  were  sub- 
jected to  the  most  terrible  vicissitudes  in  the  annals  of  war- 
fare. 

The  reserve  power  of  the  north  now  gave  the  Federal  forces 
great  advantages,  and  told  with  disastrous  effect  on  the  waning 
fortunes  of  the  South.  Sherman,  with  a  great  army,  devas- 
tated Georgia  and  South  Carolina,  and  Grant's  cavalry  made 
the  Valley  of  Virginia  a  scene  of  desolation. 

At  length  the  last  gun  was  fired  by  Cox's  Brigade,  of 
Grimes1  North  Carolina  Division,  and  the  flag  which  the 
army  of  Northern  Virginia  had  so  often  borne  to  victory, 
was  furled  forever. 

Who  can  picture  the  poignant  grief  of  Lee  at  such  an  end- 
ing of  the  terrific  conflict;  at  such  a  termination  of  the  great 
struggle  the  South  had  made  to  withstand  the  forces  of  the 
Union!  The  cause  in  which  his  country  had  embarked  was 
lost!  The  cause  for  which  tens  of  thousands  had  died,  was 
no  more. 

TTis  noble  army;  his  Hag.  emblazoned  with  glory,  and  the 
Confederacy,  whose  defence  had  been  committed  to  his  trust, 
had  all  passed  away. 

Tn  those  black  hours  of  cruel  fate,  while  yefc  in  the  agony 
of  disappointment,  and  of  grief  and  of  love,  and  while  the 


IS 


peaiis  of  his  victorious  foes  rang  in  triumph  throughout  the 
continent,  his  lofty  soul  sent  forth  a  note  that  only  his  great 
heart  could  have  uttered :  "Human  fortitude  should  be  equal 
to  all  human  calamity." 

Success  generally  bespeaks  merit.  Such  success  as  was 
won  by  Stonewall  Jackson  and  General  Forrest  is  the  highest 
proof  of  great  merit.  The  victories  of  Lee  will  also  attest  to 
posterity  his  title  to  immortal  fame,  and  the  final  disaster 
that  overwhelmed  him  cannot  detract  from  it.  The  adverse 
circumstances  that  at  last  surrounded  the  South  rendered 
victory  impossible.  Lee  did  not  inaugurate  the  war ;  he  did 
not  advise  it;  he  deplored  it.  Its  entire  conduct  was  not  in 
his  keeping;  he  was  given  an  army  command,  and  he  made 
it  an  army  of  heroes — the  most  glorious  army  in  the  annals 
of  time. 

The  beleaguered,  blockaded  South,  without  military  sup- 
plies, finally  exhausted  its  resources.  Its  money  became 
worthless,  its  provisions  failed,  suffering  and  privation  and 
hunger  pervaded  the  land.  The  great  North,  with  its  large 
population,  its  numerous  factories,  its  extensive  commerce, 
its  immense  wealth,  had  the  world  for  its  store-house,  and  its 
supply  of  men,  as  well  as  of  material,  was  almost  inexhaus- 
tible. The  Northern  people  pledged  the  world  that  in  ninety 
days  they  would  subjugate  the  South.  Time  after  time  they 
flashed  the  news  through  the  courts  of  Europe  that  in  ninety 
days  they  would  crush  the  rebellion.  Their  ninety  days  grew 
to  four  long  years.  Many  a  gallant  army  they  sent  out.  witli 
flying  banners,  singing  "on  to  Richmond,"  only  to  be  hurled 
back,  defeated,  beaten,  routed,  with  colors  trailing,  and  the 
North  country  mourning  for  the  gallant  spirits  who  had 
fallen  beneath  the  heavy  blows  of  Lee  and  his  Southern 
heroes. 

If  to  the  South  the  war  brought  great  sorrow  and  suffering 
and  disaster,  in  like  manner  every  hamlet  at  the  North 
mourned  for  fallen  sons.  Billions  of  money  were  expended, 
and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  lives  were  sacrificed  in  the 
effort  to  subjugate  the  Southern  people. 


19 


Whatever  were  the  motives,  the  influences  that  urged 
Northern  statesmen  to  appeal  to  the  sword,  instead  of  resort- 
ing to  peaceful  methods,  to  the  Northern  people,  their  course 
proved  a  costly  undertaking,  even  though  ir  involved  the 
South  in  utter  ruin  and  desolation. 

With  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  General  Lee,  with  that 
high  conception  of  duty  that  had  ever  governed  his  conduct, 
set  an  example  for  the  Southern  people  of  accepting  the 
situation  and  resolutely  returning  to  the  paths  of  peace.  In 
four  months  after  his  flag  was  furled  and  his  army  was 
parolled,  he  entered  upon  new  duties  as  president  of  Wash- 
ington College  at  Lexington,  Va.,  and  his  example  as  a  citi- 
zen was  as  inspiring  to  the  South  as  his  military  career  had 
been  glorious. 

Duty,  he  had  said,  was  the  sublirnest  word  in  the  English 
language,  and  he  demonstrated  by  his  refusal  to  lend  his 
great  name  to  commercial  enterprises,  which  would  have 
brought  him  wealth;  that  in  his  opinion  wealth  is  a  matter 
of  secondary  consideration,  and  that  character  and  virtue 
are  above  all  price.  In  peace,  he  was  as  admirable  as  in  war ; 
and  his  example  as  a  noble,  high-minded,  Christian  gentle- 
man has  had  a  refining  influence  in  the  homes  of  the  South- 
land. 

At  last,  in  the  autumn  of  1870,  he  passed  away,  and  was 
gathered  to  his  fathers,  leaving  as  a  heritage  to  the  Southern 
people  the  rich  legacy  of  his  immortal  fame  and  of  his  pure, 
noble  character. 

Tn  conclusion,  let  me  quote  from  the  autobiography  of 
Lord  Wolsely,  his  estimate  of  our  beloved  hero : 

"General  Lee  was  one  of  the  few  men  who  ever  seriously 
impressed  and  awed  me  with  their  natural,  their  inherent 
greatness.  Forty  years  have  come  and  gone  since  our  meet- 
ing, yet  the  majesty  of  his  manly  bearing,  the  genial,  winning 
grace,  the  sweetness  of  his  smile,  and  the  impressive  dignity 
of  his  old-fashioned  style  of  address  come  back  to  me  among 
the  most  cherished  of  my  recollections.     '::~     *     *     He  spoke 


20 


of  the  future  with  confidence — it  was  just  after  the  battle  of 
Antietam — although  one  could  clearly  see  he  was  of  no  very 
sanguine  temperament. 

"Even  when  the  great  and  noble  Christian  captain  referred 
to  the  bad  treatment  of  Southern  soldiers  and  people  by  the 
Yankees,  he  showed  no  resentment  or  bitterness,  while  deplor- 
ing the  fact.  He  even  showed  no  resentment  when  he  told 
of  the  destruction  of  his  own  home  at  Arlington  Heights, 
near  Washington,  which  his  wife  had  inherited  from  General 
Washington. 

"He  had  merely  gone  with  his  State,  Virginia — the  pre- 
vailing principle  that  had  influenced  most  of  the  soldiers  I 
spoke  with  during  my  visit  to  the  South.  He  was.  indeed,  ;i 
beautiful  character,  and  of  him  might  truthfully  be  written, 
'In  righteousness  he  did  judge  and  make  war/  ' 

This  tribute  from  England's  famous  military  critic  sus- 
tains our  own  view  of  Lee's  greatness  and  character.  His 
nature  was  not  only  lofty  and  noble,  but  his  character  was 
beautiful. 

Such  was  the  chief  champion  of  the  Southern  people  in 
their  contest  to  maintain  and  preserve  the  independence  won 
for  by  them  by  the  blood  and  sacrifices  of  their  Revolutionary 
Fathers.  We  honor  him  now,  and  posterity  will  venerate  his 
name. 

After  centuries  have  rolled  by — when  all  Ins  contempo- 
raries shall  have  passed  into  obscurity,  the  name  of  Lee,  like 
that  of  Washington,  will  still  be  luminous  with  a  lus'tre  of 
glory,  and  his  fame  will  be  perpetuated  as  the  noblest,  the 
knightliest,  and  the  most  illustrious  patriot  who  ever  drew 
sword  in  his  country's  cause. 

The  Crosses  of  Honor. 

As  the  applause  died  away  after  the  conclusion  of  the 
address,  the  band  rendered  "Tenting  on  the  Old  ('amp 
Ground,"  and  then  the  audience,  led  by  a  cornet  sang  General 
Lee's  favorite  hvnm  "How  Firm  a  Foundation." 


21 


Next  was  read  by  Adjutant  Birdsong  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions governing  the  presentation  of  Crosses  of  Honor  to  Con- 
federate veterans,  and  following  this  the  following  names 
were  read  as  those  to  whom  the  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy 
presented  these  at  this  time,  the  names  being : 

S.  H.  Black,  Company  G,  Forty-ninth  Regiment. 

C.  M.  Busbee,  Company  E,  Fifth  Regiment. 

W.  D.  Clanton,  Company  B,  Thirteenth  Regiment. 
W.  Gregory,  Company  E,  Fifty-first  Regiment. 
E.  B.  Goelet,  Company  D,  Tenth  Regiment. 
M.  Hill,  Company  A,  Eleventh  Regiment. 
H.  Johnson,  Company  A,  Fifty-third  Regiment. 

D.  Owen,  Company  I,  Nineteenth  Regiment. 

J.  Pierce,  Company  H,  Twenty-seventh  Regiment. 

J.  A.  Smith,  Company  C,  Fifty-third  Regiment. 

W.  A.  Torrence,  Company  B,  Twenty-eighth  Regiment. 

T.  G.  "Williams,  Company  I,  Thirty-third  Regiment. 

John  M.  Fleming,  Company  E,  Gumstead  Regiment,  Ark. 

J.  G.  B.  Grimes,  A.  Q.  M.,  Fourth  North  Carolina  Regi- 
ment. 

J.  M.  Goodwin,  Company  C,  Forty-seventh  North  Caro- 
lina Regiment. 

W.  H.  Lyon,  Company  I,  Sixth  North  Carolina  Regiment. 

W.  H.  Mumford,  Company  D,  Sixty-seventh  North  Caro- 
lina Regiment. 

Of  these  there  were  present  but  Messrs.  M.  Hill,  J.  M. 
Fleming  and  W.  H.  Lyon.  To  receive  the  other  Crosses, 
which  went  to  veterans  at  the  Home,  Capt.  R.  H.  Brooks, 
superintendent  of  the  Soldiers'  Home,  was  designated  by  the 
chapter,  while  relatives  took  those  of  kinsmen  unavoidably 
absent.  As  the  three  veterans  came  forward  there  was  ap- 
plause for  each,  and  more  applause  was  heard  as  tiny  grand- 
daughters of  the  Confederacy  pinned  the  crosses  on  the  lapels 
of  the  coats  of  the  men  who  had  once  faced  the  foe,  the  little 


ladies  being  Elizabeth  Hill,  Annie  Lee  Wynne,  Mary  Stron- 
ach  and  Lillian  Riddiok,  all  sweet  little  misses. 

The  Rear  Guard. 

Airs.   F.  A.  Olds  was  next  introduced,  and  she  read  most 
feelingly  a  poem,  "The  Rear  Guard,"  as  follows:  . 

The  guns  are  hashed.     On  every  held,  once  flowing 

With  war's  red  Hood,  May's  breath  of  peace  is  shed. 
And  spring's  young  grass  and  gracious  flowers  are  growing 
Above  the  dead. 

Ye  gray  old  men  whom  we  this  day  are  greeting, 

Honor  to  you.  honor  and  love  and  trust! 
Brave  to  the  brave!    your  soldier  hands  are  meeting 
Across  their  dust. 

Bravely  they  fought  who  charged  when  flags  were  flying 

In  cannon's  crash,   in  screech  and  scream  of  shell: 
Bravely  they  fell,  who  lay  alone  and  dying 
In  battle's  hell. 

Honor  to  them !     For  graves  to-day  are  flinging 

ITp  through  the  soil  peace-blooms  to  meet  the  sun. 
And   daisied   heads  to   summer   winds   are   singing 
Their  long  well  done. 

Our  vanguard,  they  went  with  hot  blood  flushing. 

At  battle's  din.  at  joy  of  bugle's  call. 
They  fell  with  smiles,  the  flood  of  young  life  gushing. 
Full  brave  the  fall ! 

But  braver  yet.  who  when  the  war  was  ended. 
And  bugle's  call  and  wave  of  flag  was  done. 
Could  come  back  home,  so  long  left  undefended. 
Your  cause  unwon. 

And  twist  the  useless  sword  to  hook  of  reaping. 
Rebuild  the  home,  set  back  the  empty  chair. 
And  brave  a  land  where  waste  and  want  were  keeping 
Guard  everywhere. 

All  this  you  did,  your  courage  strong  upon  you. 

And  out  of  ashes  wreck,  a  new  land  'rose. 
Through  years  of  war  no  braver  battle  won  you. 
'Gainst  fiercer  foes. 

And  now  to-day  a  prospered  land  is  cheering 

And  lifting  up  her  voice  in  lusty  pride 
For  you  gray  men.  who  fought  and  wrought,   not    fearing 
Battle's  red  tide. 


23 


Our  rear  guard  ye,  whose  step  is  slowing,  slowing; 
Whose  ranks,  earth-thinned,  are  filling  otherwise ; 
Who   wore  the  gray,  the  gray,   alas!    still   showing 
On  bleaching  hair. 

For  forty  years  you've  watched  this  land  grow  stronger, 

For  forty  years  you've  been  its  bulwark,  stay ; 
Tarry  a  while ;  pause  yet  a  little  longer 
Upon  the  way. 

And  set  our  feet  where  there  may  be  no  turning, 

And  set  our  faces  straight  on  duty's  track, 
Where  there  may  be  for  stray,  strange  gods  no  yearning. 
Nor  looking  back. 

And  when  for  you  the  last  tattoo  has  sounded. 

And  on  death's  silent  field  you've  pitched  your  tent ; 
When,  bowed  through  tears,  the  arc  of  life  has  rounded 
To  full  content, 

We  that  are  left  will  count  it  guerdon  royal. 

Our  heritage  no  years  can  take  away ; 
That  we  were  born  of  those,  unflinching,  loyal. 
Who  wore  the  gray. 

— Irene  Fowler  Brown. 
Memphis,  Tenn. 

Applause  greeted  this,  and  as  it  ended  Mrs.  Olds  again 
appeared.  She  said:  I  thank  von  all  for  that,  but  what  I 
came  back  to  say  was  that  it  had  been  agreed  by  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  Confederacy  that  when  "Dixie"  was  sung  or 
played  each  veteran  or  daughter  should  arise,  and  in  this  1 
ask  the  audience  to  join.  Then  as  "Dixie"  was  played  by 
the  band  the  audience  stood  while  the  loved  music  of  the 
South  swelled  forth. 

This  closed  the  events  of  the  programme  and  the  patriotic 
exercises  were  concluded  with  the  benediction,  delivered  by 
Dr.  M.  M.  Marshall,  after  which  many  of  the  audience  waiter! 
to  congratulate  Capt.  Ashe,  and  to  speak  in  words  of  love  of 
that  great  soldier  and  chivalric  gentleman.  Robert  E.  Lee, 
for  whom  once  again  Raleigh  had  honored  itself  in  honoring 
his  memory. 


00032744923 


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